Top endgate



Jan. 4, 19'49. c, ADAMS 2,457,857

TOP END GATE Filed Sept. 18, 1946 2 She'ets-Shec l 5 2 v I J .7

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FIG- 2 Jan. 4, 1949.;

Filed Sept. 18, 1946 c. R. ADAMS TOP .3"? Q 2 sheetarfihi aetz have/2701:- C/zar/es 1Q. 0021/2261 Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Charles R. Adams, Donavon, Saskatchewan, Canada Application September 18, 1946, Serial No. 697,771

(cuss-s1) 6 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in top end-gates for Waggon or truck boxes for use in combination with the bottom end-gate illustrated and described in my continuation-impart application Serial No. 623,564, an object of the invention being to provide an assembly of the character herewithin described which will eliminate the usual channels on either side of the rear end of the box, and which necessitate the raising of the gate bodily in the removal thereof from said channels, which bodily lifting is strenuous and fatiguing inasmuch as the end-gate in question is necessarily of substantial weight, to which must be added the liability to bind against one channel or the other should it be skewed slightly in the act of lifting.

A further object of the present invention is to eliminate the usual cross-rods and tail nuts for preventing spreading of the side-walls under load, and, by such elimination, to provide a more positive, sealing union between the end-gate and the side-walls.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an end-gate which also fulfills the function of the aforesaid cross-rod within itself, and which, thereby eliminates the necessity for any subsequent cross-rod removal when for example it is desired to load oil-barrels after hauling loose grain, gravel or the like.

A further object is toprovide a device of the character herewithin described which is conspicuously simple and of rugged construction, and which, when in situ will be rigid and free from rattling.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become aparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a compressed, and partly fragmented representation of my top end-gate in combination with the bottom end-gate of my continuation-impart application Serial No. 623,564.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the assembly of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3- -3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fi ure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan detail of the right-hand end structure of Figure 2.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicste corresponding parts in the different figures. 7

According to my observations, most top-end gates are constructed upon the principle of the conventional Waggon-box type. top end-gate which consists of a rectangular gate panel usually of wood suitably reinforced and designed to drop into a pair of channels at the rear ends of the side walls of the box. Cross-rods or tightenerrods span the rear corners of the side walls, aperturee being provided in the side walls for this purpose. After the gate has been dropped into the channels, a tail nut is tightened on the screw threaded end of the rod against the side wall corner so that the pair of channels. is cramped against the vertical side edges of the gate panel.

The disadvantages of the above arrangement reside first in the fact that if the thickness of the gate-panel is substantially less than the space between the flanges of the channels, when the box is loaded with loose material such as grain, such load forces the gate tightly against the rear or outer flanges of the pair of channels so that the material enters between the front gate panel surface and the interior or front flanges where it binds thus rendering the removal of the gate panel very difficult.

Secondly, if the gate panel is a snug fit within a pair of channels, only a small amount of moisture will suffice to swell the wood and again cause undesirable binding without first spreading the side walls by slackening the aforesaid tai1-nut.

My invention accordingly consists of a top end-gate panel collectively designated l, rabetted into the upper horizontal edge of which is an elongated tle member in the iorm of an angle bar 2 having apertures 3 extending through the ends of the vertical flange 4 thereof as well as through the wood in line therewith to receive the studs 5.

Welded to the: rear edges of a metal strip 5 secured against the inner end surfaces of the side walls I and to the deck 8 or the body 9 (which strip is designated 39 in my continuation in-part Serial No. 623,564) are vertical flanges ID, the upper ends whereof are provided with ear-pieces H having apertures therein through which the aforesaid studs 5 extend, being preferably welded in such position. It will thus be observed that my gate panel I is positioned in front of the pair of flanges": lll' which, as will also clearly be observed, are in transverse coplanar relationship.

Positioned parallel with the side edges of gate panel I, and somewhat inset with respect to such side edges are angle bars l2 which serve to reinforce my gate panel, and are provided approximately intermedially of the lengths thereof with the pieces of metal I3 (reinforced if desired with a web l4) constituting diagonal thrust surfaces against a crank-handled bolt or shank l5 may be advanced.

The crank handles l 5 project upon the exterior surfaces of the side walls 1 and extend through apertures provided therefor in the side-wall supporting stakes [6. The inner ends of the aforesaid bolts are externally screwthreaded as at H, and move upon rotation of the handle portion, in the internally screw-threaded bushings l8 welded against the outer surfaces of the vertical portions of the strip 6.

From the foregoing it will clearly be apparent.

that when the cranks l5 are rotated in one direction, the inner ends thereof will ride against the thrust surfaces I3 so binding my gate panel sealingly against the flanges l0.' At the same time the side walls I are sustained againstspreading by the studs 5 in combination with the tie-member 2, and simply upon rotation of the cranks 15 in the opposite direction, my gate panel may be released and laid upon the deck 8. It will be noted that I also provide an angle bar l9 upon the lower horizontal edge of my gate panel I, the same projecting rearwardly to the extent of the thickness of the flanges In so that a horizontal seal is provided'to close the elongated horizontal aperture or slot which would otherwise exist at 20 between the exterior surface of my gate panel l and my bottom end-gate 28. It is also to be understood that flanges I terminate at the lower ends thereof approximately c0- incident with the aforesaid lower horizontal edge of panel I since to extend them downwardly further than this would be unnecessary.

For purposes of orientation in connection with the structure of my continuation-in-part application Serial No. 623,5641 have, in the accompanying drawings employed corresponding numerals in respect of parts shown in this and the above identified application, and since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense l What I claim as my invention is: Y 1. A top end-gate assembly for Waggon or truck boxes comprising in combination a rectangular gate-panel and structure supporting same, said supporting structure embodying a pair of 'vertical opposing flanges on the rear ends of the Waggon or truck box sidewalls extending normally towards each other therefrom, an: elongated tie-member secured to said'panel parallel with the top edge thereof and at least adjacent thereto, studs extending through the ends of said' tie-member and the upper ends of said'fianges for suspending said panel in situ and to counter-- act the spreading of said truck or waggon box side walls under load, and means upon said side walls adjacent said flanges for progressively tightening the panel edges adjacent 1 thereto against said flanges 2. A top end-gate assembly for Waggon or truck boxes comprising in combination arectangular gate-panel and structure supporting'same, said 4 supporting structure embodying a pair of coplanar vertical opposing flanges on the rear ends of the Waggon or truck box side-walls extending normally towards each other therefrom, an elongated tie-member secured to said panel parallel with the top edge thereof and at least adjacent thereto, studs extending through the ends of said tie-member and the upper ends of said flanges for suspending said panel in situ and to counteract the spreading of said truck or Waggon box side walls under load, and means for progressively tightening at least one edge of said panel against that one of said opposing flanges which is adjacent thereto.

3. A top end-gate assembly for Waggon or truck boxes comprising in combination a rectangular gate-panel and structure supporting same,

said supporting structure embodying a pair of vertical op osing flanges on the rear ends of the Waggon or truck box side-walls extending normally towards each other therefrom, an elongated tiemember in the form of an angle-bar secured to said panel parallel with the top edge thereof, and at least adjacent thereto, studs extending through the ends of said angle-bar and the upper ends of said flanges'for suspending said anel in situ and to counteract the spreading of said truck or waggon box side walls under load, and means upon said side walls adjacent said flanges for progressively tightening the panel edges adjacent thereto against said flanges.

' 4 A top end-gate assembly for Waggon or truck boxes comprising in combination a rectangular gate-panel and structure supporting same, said supporting structure embodying a pair of coplanar vertical opposing flanges on the rear ends of the Waggon or truck box side-walls extending normally towards each other therefrom, said panel when in situ being in front of said flanges, and bearing thereagainst under load within said box, an elongated tie-member secured to said panel parallel with the top edge thereof and at least adjacent thereto, studs extending through the ends of said tie-member and the upper ends of said flanges for suspending said panel in situ and to counteract the spreading of said truck or waggon box side walls under load, and means upon said side walls adjacent said flanges for progressively tightening the panel edges adjacent thereto against said flanges.

5. A top end-gate assembly for Waggon or truck boxes comprising in combination a rectangular gate-panel and structure supporting same comprising a pair of co-planar vertical opposing flanges on the rear ends of the Waggon or truck box side-walls extending normally and towards each other therefrom, an elongated tie-member secured to said panel parallel with the top edge thereof and at least adjacent thereto, said tiemember havingapertures extending through each end thereof, inwardly projecting studs secured to the upper ends ofsaid flanges and engaging said apertures for suspending said panel in situ against the interior surface of said flanges and to counter-act spreading of said truck or Waggon box side-walls'under load, and means upon said supporting structure and said panel co-acting to lock said panel in the vertical plane when suspended from said studs.

:6. A top end-gate assembly for Waggon or truck boxes comprising in combination a horizontally rectangular gate-panel and structure supporting same, said supporting structure embodying a pair of vertical opposing flanges on the rear ends of the waggo'n or truck box side- 5, walls, extending normally towards each other therefrom, an elongated tie-member secured to said panel parellei with the top edge thereof at least adjacent thereto, studs extending through the ends of said tie-member and the upper ends of said flanges for suspending said panel in situ and to counteract the spreading of said truck or Waggon box side-walls under load, and means upon at least one of said side walls adjacent the fiange thereon for tightening the adjacent panel-edge thereagainst, consisting of an internally threaded bushing on said side-wall a screw-threaded shank extending therethrough, and an element secured to said gate-panel having REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gray Apr. 3, 1923 Number 

